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On Life Support - A battered health system leaves DRC children at the mercy of killer diseases

UNICEF (2020) C1

ON LIFE SUPPORT3The Democratic Republic of Congo’s Ebola outbreak has been contained, but confl ict and under-development leave over three million children at risk from measles and other killer diseases. The country’s medical services – ill-equipped and under-resourced – are on life support ... more

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Break COVID Now: The Gavi COVAX AMC Investment Opportunity

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance (2022) CC

In April 2020, Gavi and COVAX joined the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) to provide equitable global access to COVID-19 vaccines to tackle the pandemic. In June 2020, the Gavi COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC) was launched to finance equitable access in 92 lower-income countries. Si... more

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Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, 5–6 June 2019

World Health Organization WHO (2019) C_WHO

The Committee examined the clinical development of Ebola virus vaccines and conducted an inventory of available data on their safety. It also reviewed 3 generic issues: updating a global strategy on vaccine safety, use of a network of distributed data ... more

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Guide to community engagement in WASH
recommended

Niederberger, E.; S. Ferron and M. O'Reilly Oxfam (2016) C1

A practioner's guide, based on lessons from Ebola. This guide is a compilation of best practices and key lessons learned through Oxfam’s experience of community engagement during the 2014–15 Ebola response in Sierra Leone and Liberia. It aims to inform public health practitioners and programme ... more

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What works. Addressing COVID-19 misinformation: Lessons from the frontlines in 100 countries

Internews (2021) CC

A report demonstrating the urgent need to support groups at the local level if COVID-19 misinformation and mistrust is to be tackled effectively.

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Hand hygiene in health care in the context of Filovirus disease outbreak response. Rapid advice guideline
recommended

World Health Organization (2014)

This document provides a summary of the recommendations for hand hygiene best practices to be performed by health workers providing care and/or support to patients with filovirus infection (Ebola and Marburg viruses).

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WHO South Sudan Annual Report 2022

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2023) C_WHO

A lot has happened this year. While we continued to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic, we were hit by disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises. Yet, despite these challenges, we marched on, resolute in resolving critical health systems issues to increase access to quality healthcare services. To furth... more

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Handwashing compendium for Low Resource Settings - A living document

The Sanitation Learning Hub (2020) CC

The compendium provides guidance on low-cost handwashing facilities that can be widely used in low and middle-income countries. We hope that this can be shared extensively as governments and agencies tackle the crisis in low and middle-income countries where handwashing facilities are urgently neede... more

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A World at Risk

Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (2019) C_WHO

Annual report on global preparednessfor health emergencies The next pandemic is not a question of if, but when—and the world is woefully unprepared, according to the first annual report from the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board. The WHO and the World Bank convened the independent group after ... more

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Climate-Smart Healthcare : Low-Carbon and Resilience Strategies for the Health Sector

The World Bank Group (2017) CC

Climate change is damaging human health now and is projected to have a greater impact in the future. Low- and middle-income countries are seeing the worst effects as they are most vulnerable to climate shifts and least able to adapt given weak health systems and poor infrastructure. Low-carbon appro... more

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Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure on Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA ...is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

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Managing epidemics: key facts about major deadly diseases

World Health Organization (WHO) (2018) C_WHO

Epidemics of infectious diseases are occurring more often, and spreading faster and further than ever, in many different regions of the world. The background factors of this threat are biological, environmental and lifestyle changes, among others. A potentially fatal combination of newly-discovered ... more

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Challenges to the reintegration of affected groups into communities

ACAPS (2015) C1

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How can the health systems of Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia be improved?

DIFÄM (German Institute for Medical Mission); SLADEA (Sierra Leone Adult Education Association), et al. (2016) C1

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Infection Prevention and Control Recovery Plans and Implementation: Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone Inter - country Meeting

World Health Organization WHO (2015) C_WHO

20-22 July 2015, Monrovia, Liberia

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Managing epidemics
recommended

World Health Organization WHO (2018) C_WHO

Key facts about major deadly diseases.This manual provides concise and up-to-date knowledge on 15 infectious diseases that have the potential to become international threats, and tips on how to respond to each of them. You can download an interactive version directly at the website http://www.who.... more

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Guidance Note: Protection of Children during Infectious Disease Outbreaks

Arii M., F. Baele, J. Bedford et al. The Alliance for children protection in humanitarian action (2020) C2

Accessed on 31.03.2020 This Guidance Note aims to provide humanitarian child protection practitioners, particularly child protection advisors and program managers, with guidance on how to engage in responses to infectious disease outbreaks to ensure children’s protection needs are taken into ac... more

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Pharmaceutical Strategy for Europe

European Union EU (2020) C1

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Germanys expanding role in global health

Ilona Kickbusch, Christian Franz, Anna Holzscheiter, Iris Hunger, Albrecht Jahn, Carsten Kö; hler, Oliver Razum, Jean-Olivier Schmidt Lancet 2017; 390: 898– 912 (2017) CC

Germany has become a visible actor in global health in the past 10 years. In this Series paper, we describe how this development complements a broad change in perspective in German foreign policy.

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COVID-19 An informative guide. Advice for journalists

Pan American Health Organisation PAHO (2020) C_WHO

This document offers tools to help journalists practice responsible coverage of the pandemic using evidence-based information. It also proposes ways to approach coverage and encourages journalists to provide advice and solutions that can help reduce health risks and save lives.

Guide to community engagement in WASH recommended

Hand hygiene in health care in the context of Filovirus disease outbreak response. Rapid advice guideline recommended

Managing epidemics recommended

Guide to community engagement in WASH
recommended

Hand hygiene in health care in the context of Filovirus disease outbreak response. Rapid advice guideline
recommended

Managing epidemics
recommended